We all have guilty pleasures. Some of us have many. I’m the latter.
There’s one that pops this time every year and I thought it would be perfect to share it with you all.
Every year Lifetime comes out with their It’s a Wonderful Lifetime lineup of movies. Yes! That’s right! Lifetime gets even better (imo) with holiday, sappy, love stories.
This year, it started early. I’m talking end of October early. So, I have been in the holiday spirit well before Halloween.
Now, you might be wondering, “Jess, aren’t you Jewish? Because you’ve told us that in the past.” To answer your question, yes, yes I am. However, my whole life I’ve had my foot in two worlds. But all of this is beside the point and a much longer story for another day.
I’m here to share with you some of my all-time favorite Lifetime holiday movies.
These aren’t in any particular order.
Stars: Andrew Walker & Bethany Joy Lenz
Synopsis: Two journalists (Jenna Hudson & Kevin Jenner) are assigned to travel to Aspen, but are grounded in Santa Claus, Indiana because of a snowstorm. They find themselves befriended by some inn owners (presumable Santa and Mrs. Claus) and are offered a place to stay at their inn. It turns out that the inn will be shutting down unless it can be saved. In the process of saving the inn, Jenna and Kevin rediscover the wonder and magic of Christmas as well as overcoming their differences. In turn, they fall in love with each other.
My thoughts: I love good love story. I am actually a sucker for it. I can’t help it. Every time I watch this movie, I get all the feels. It’s the perfect amount of drama and love story. Andrew Walker is fantastic. He also isn’t that bad to look at. I have been a fan of Bethany’s since One Tree Hill, so I will watch anything she is in. She is just a great actress.
Stars: Melissa Joan Hart & Barry Watson
Synopsis: A bakery owner, Kate Holiday, is in the middle of a holiday cookie rush. On top of all that, she is dumped by her boyfriend and she loses all her Christmas joy. In her misery, she walks into a Christmas market tent and is given a very special nutcracker, Chip. She brings it home and the next morning this nutcracker has come alive. Chip helps Kate believe in Christmas magic again and brings her out of her funk.
My thoughts: I wouldn’t say this is the movie at the top of my favorites list, but I do still really enjoy watching it. It’s a little bit cheesy (aren’t all Lifetime movies though?). It’s a little bit comedic.
Stars: Sarah Drew & Niall Matter
Synopsis: Hannah, a tech wiz & developer of a dating app Perfect One, finds herself unexpectedly broken up with. She decides to go home for the holidays and finds out that her hometown is putting on a pen pal event called Christmas Cupid. In the process of convincing her dad to sign up, she is forced to do the same. The kicker is that she also runs into her ex-boyfriend, Sam, which also turns out to be her Christmas Cupid pen pal. Through the letters, she falls back in love with him and believes that he is her soulmate.
My thoughts: I fell in love with this movie because of the nostalgia. Writing letters to someone you haven’t met, or in this case, you know but don’t really know is magical to me. That element brings another layer to the movie. Yes, it follows the typical format of a holiday Lifetime movie (there’s a conflict, a love story, etc.), but I think this one is extra special. Every time I watch it, it makes me want to write letters and become a pen pal with someone. And no, not necessarily to find my true love. Honestly, I think that’s kind of a long shot and not how I would like to find my person.
Stars: Bethany Joy Lenz & Marcus Rosner
Synopsis: Ellie, the daughter of a poinsettia farmer, is called home weeks before Christmas to help save the farm and the business. They are in a time crunch to get all the orders out, but there is a problems. The poinsettias have not turned red. As Ellie comes up with a solution, she finds her way back to her true love (the family farm) and falls in love with the man that has been helping out in her absence.
My thoughts: I love this story because we all get lost and think that we have to do this and this in order to be successful. We forget that it’s okay to do something that we love despite the expectations.
These are just some of my favorite movies. I could go on and on, but I won’t put you through that.
Have you seen these movies? Are you just as obsessed with Lifetime holiday movies as I am? What are some of you favorite cheesy holiday movies? Let me know down in the comments. I would love to hear from you.
Jess xx
